jigokufever | (OVERFLOW) AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

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(OVERFLOW) AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

1. SHUTEN TERRITORY - Muscling In

art by tohdraws

In the aftermath of the curse crisis, the Shuten Clan forgave a bunch of protection payments in the region, and helped cover the costs for rebuilding. Unfortunately, some of the street gangs in the area are much less civically minded. They have used the Shuten's relaxed policies as an opportunity to turn their own screws on the local business owners. These unaffiliated youth gangs have been much rougher with the locals, and have been asking for even larger collection fees. This has pissed off the folks who are just trying to get their lives and businesses back on track!

Unfortunately, the opening of Sai no Kawara in the underground drew so much of the clan's focus and manpower, that the issues up top just slipped through the cracks. Until now! Toraguma is in a bad mood and is looking for people to take it out on: the youth gangs will do just fine.

Volunteers are being solicited to join the regular Shuten enforcers in driving these interlopers out of Shuten territory. The gangs are wise to the usual Shuten tactics, though, and they're prepared for a fight. They are also appealing to the influx of Lost Souls: they act as though they're the victims of the factions' power struggles! They propose that taking up arms against the Shuten Clan will win them favor with the other groups in the city. (It will look less good with the Shuten Clan, should you be assigned to them.)

Fight with the Shutens, or with the gangs. Either way, a fight is coming.

2. TAMAMO TERRITORY - Throat Goat (NSFW)

at by akai riot

This prompt is overtly sexual in nature. Please use the proper NSFW labelling in your top levels and threads.

While the Palace of Sai in the underground is doing well, that doesn't mean the other businesses in the Tamamo Clan's collection have been slacking. One of the least "classy" soaplands has decided they're going to hold a contest to drive up business for themselves! They are partnering with some of the other sex clubs in the area for the sleaziest of events.

The Hyottoko Cup is looking for volunteer participants! The competition is pretty straightforward: a ruler is drawn on the throat of each participant and an array of members is presented to swallow. Whichever contestant can take the guests deepest and longest will take home the "coveted" Hyottoko Cup! Ok, there's a little judge favoritism involved too, so put on a show.

The guests have likewise been pulled in as volunteers, with instructions that they don't have to make this easy on the participants. Guests are provided with special seals that they can use for the length of the competition to enhance their natural assets. For those lacking the equipment entirely, there's a seal for that too.

Have fun and play nice.

3. TAMAMO TERRITORY - Strike a Poise (GEN)

Other businesses looking to jump start this month's earnings are also getting in on the spirit of competition! Businesses less oriented towards sexual service have come together as a means to draw in the high dollar clients, and one local club has proposed something old school.

Sign up for the Poise Contest, where contestants are placed into more and more ridiculous geta while tasked with serving drinks to the guest. Spills are expected, and the guests are cheerfully kitted out with cheap club-branded ponchos to protect their clothes. (Marketing, am I right?) While spills are expected, the contestant will lose points for each of the spilled drinks. Try to keep your balance as you attend to increasingly absurd drink orders. The intensity of the traditional footwear will only make your job that much harder.

Do you have what it takes to pour a champagne fountain while wearing teetering tengu geta? Prove your balance and dexterity is the best and the take home prize is some sweet cash. For Lost Souls freshly in the city, the chance to win some extra money can't really be passed up, huh…

4. SUTOKU TERRITORY - Jigokucho's Got Talent

Ever since Moonday's beloved singer – Ringo-chan – was kidnapped at the Tanabata festival, the band has had to cancel all of their scheduled gigs. Unfortunately, they were a hugely popular act, booked solid in most of the Sutoku Alliance's various nightclubs. This has left a ton of empty spots that need to be filled quickly, before the crowds get upset and demand… refunds.

That's where you come in, Lost Souls! Desperate promoters and talent bookers are literally grabbing Lost Souls off the street and begging, pleading, with them to perform a set for the night. They just need to have something to fill the space Moonday would have otherwise occupied. At least give the crowd something to see!

Acts do not need to be of the musical variety. Any performing talent is accepted, no matter how esoteric or bizarre! If it can fill out a 15-30 minute set, the club owners will be happy and the customers will at least see something interesting; even if it's a bad kind of interesting. So get on stage and show this city what you've got!

( Help us fill our time slots, please! We're desperate! 😩)

5. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA - Sticky Paws II: Outta the Bag

The Enma Department is busy: they have a kidnapping to investigate, a primordial god to pin down, and the crisis of their ever-shifting public image to manage. However, crime never sleeps and is always there to add to the troubled Department's workload. Worse still, we thought this little crime spree was over six months ago! But here it is again, much to the Enma's chagrin.

Cat cafés are a popular tourist attraction all across Jigokucho. About six months ago, a gang of bakeneko infiltrated several of the cafés to rob customers occupied with kitty bliss. Wallets, jewelry, and anything else those sticky paws could snatch away were being picked in droves. The cat capers are afoot once more!

Are you a hapless victim of these furry thieves, or are you helping the Department of the Enma track down these cat burglars? Unfortunately, the bakeneko are exceptionally clever and are using a seal to disguise their secondary tails. This makes them look just about like any normal cat. Better make sure your lead is good, or you'll be chasing down an ordinary Felis Catus. Soft to pet, but not going to return your pilfered cash.

Of course, the café staff might be in on this caper too… It's never easy to tell who's getting a cut of the profits. Be careful who you trust out there.

6. ALL OVER - The 100 Billion Yen Man (PLOT RELEVANT)

The local TV news has been announcing that Kaberou Kannazaki – the legendary finance wolf and the father of kidnapping victim, Ringo-chan – will be making an announcement this week. People have flocked to television sets throughout the city; at the squares, around TVs in bars, electronic stores, each other's phones, and any other venue with a connection. The kidnapping has been a highly public ordeal and the talk of the town. Many of the locals were present at the festival and witnessed the crime. They want to hear what the word is!

The public doesn't have to wait long. Wolf-eared Kaberou sits at a press desk, surrounded by microphones, and dazzled with flashbulbs. He clears his throat and, as he begins to speak, he is direct and to the point; not unlike a wolf lunging for the throat.

"As of today, I am issuing a bounty on the man known as the Iron Bear, who has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of my daughter, Ringo Kannazaki. The payout to the party responsible for bringing me Iron Bear, dead or alive, is 100 Billion Yen. Individuals or groups, I don't care. Just bring my daughter back to me, and the money is yours."

Well! The Department of the Enma's hopes of an orderly investigation have been dashed, but this is certainly an opportunity for anyone brave enough – or, more accurately, stupid enough – to traverse the Wasteland. Maybe one of you out there will find the legendary Iron Bear and bring him to some form of justice.

Local businesses are quick to leap at this opportunity, too. They begin to aggressively push sponsorships at would-be bounty hunters. Weapons? Armor? Survival gear? All at discount prices! Each faction has their interest in collecting the massive bounty as well. They will all be putting a lot of pressure on recruits to get ready to head out to the Wastes.

If you just got here? Well, it would definitely be in your interest to start finding gear, and finding people willing to collect that bounty with you. It could mean a big step forward toward your eventual contract, after all.

Welcome to the test drive meme!

First of all, big thanks to our discord chat for the "Throat Goat" prompt idea. Stay golden, gang.
IF YOU'RE TOP-LEVELING A NEW CHARACTER, post it ~~here!~~ HERE!
Characters already in the game can top level as well.
Threads here can be considered game canon.
Characters can be recruited to do work for any faction until they're given their official assignment.
If you have any questions about the TDM content, please ask them here! You can find information on the story so far here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
Reserves are open until September 5th.

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Kou watches with some approval and then smiles as the tabby wanders off and the staff sees them to their table. He glances at Rhea'li and gestures, "C'mon-"

He follows the waiter to a cozy little table. Seating is on cushions and low to the ground, all the better to let them be close to the cats! There's already one - a bright orange one - lounging in the sun nearby. The server gives them a menu and then promises to be right back to take their order. Kou glances down at it and tries to decide what he's going to get. Something sweet, maybe?

"So, yeah, this is a cat cafe."

Rhea'li considers the city he's in and the likeness it has to the Far East and opts for sitting with his legs folded under him, like what he'd often seen while travelling there. He doesn't disturb the lounging orange cat, even if he has to suppress the urge to bother the cat.

A small smile curls his lip. "'Tis certainly as relaxing as you advertised."

He looks down at the menu and like so many of the signs about the city that are written in a script he doesn't recognise, he finds he still understands the text with clarity. The tip of his tail twitches and one of the grey cats -- small enough to be a kitten -- looks to be eyeing it in great interest.

"Have you visited many cafes like this? What did you do before?"

[Draken will at least have Michi's help with the shopping. It makes him feel a little more useful, and it's a nice distraction from, well, everything else.

He shakes his head to their leader, though he's already asking himself how the hell he's going to get a job under these circumstances. That's something he's going to have to figure out on his own. His skill set is, um, somewhat different from everyone else's here.]

Heh, no problem.

[She started to lead the way with a little jerk of her head. She knew a place that wasn't far away. Ramen stall. It was just perfect for having something that actually tasted good and did a hell of a job of filling you up. Planting her hands up and behind her back, she whistled idly as she walked. She was clearly in a pretty good mood.]

My stomach can wait a little bit. What kinda questions are those nattering gossips asking?

[He barely manages to stay on his feet when they slam into each other, but it's okay because that means she got away. A hasty grip on her forearms is what prevents him from falling, but it's also the quickest affirmation he can give her. He may have a nasty bruise on his face tomorrow, but he really is alright, and it's all thanks to her.

She takes off, and he follows right beside her. He doesn't even hesitate when he sees the drop. His only thought is that he'll probably sprain his ankle when he lands. Then he jumps anyway.

He's hoping to land first and catch her when she leaps, but if she doesn't wait for him, she'll probably just land on top of him anyway. Win-win.]

Well, I'd watch your mouth here if I were you. Piss off the wrong people and your family's name won't cushion your fall.

[ Welcome to hell where the rich families are bigger and badder. Yuri's not sure the Gautier heir has his head on straight, but reality will catch up to him quickly if not. ]

Lucky for you, your two friends are here. I'm sure they'll bring you up to speed.

[ he...won't comment on that, really.

he's suddenly hyperaware of the other, arm draped so casually over him like it used to be. back before brahmen, back before he locked himself in his room for two weeks and refused to come out, sketching and sketching and sketching. and, jesus, he's still sporting that sidecut, too.

hopefully there aren't too many questions about that. ]

18. You the same?

[ draken is, after all, the one of them who didn't really change much. puberty hit him like a truck early. ]

[ well, as long as he's self-aware. mitsuya, for his part, won't protest...he knows takemichi is physically the squishiest of them all, even if he's got a backbone made of fucking steel. he'll let it slide. the last thing he needs is all of them beat to shit all over again, without home in sight.

a slit eyebrow quirks up at that, amusement bubbling up in his chest. ]

You aren't going to give yourself nightmares doing that, right? You're my hapless junior, but I'm not gonna hold your hand because you choked down too much gore before we left.

[ he's ribbing him, for good reason. help make the mood a little less heavy, for the both of them. he watches takemichi take a little peek, and holds his own choices up for a better look. ]

It's made with kevlar. It's heat-resistant, and pretty durable- should survive a trip out there, or at least better than most things. Helps keep the sweat off, too. Not the most comfortable, though...

Do you have a penny to spare when you've so recently arrived here? [ dostoevsky meets gogol's eye. the street and its inhabitants are irrelevant in this moment—how he feels to be in hell, derailed from his mission though not defeated is complicated and yet simple. the only way to move forward is one step at a time. ]

That was a trick question, of course. You do not. [ after all, fyodor had learned more than a few games from gogol, ones that he throws back in the other's face now. ]

Come back when you do.

[They're all old to him. Darn rotten adults, he says, shaking his fist at the sky, and at god, the most rotten adult of them all.

He glances at her curiously. The information doesn't really tell him much in and of itself, but still, he appreciates it.]

Violently? Or more of a... covert and quiet kidnapping?

[9S gives him an encouraging smile, trying to ignore the strange sensation that this is all wrong. A human shouldn't be serving him, it should be the other way around, and yet...

Pushing past the uncomfortable feeling, 9S' voice is cheery when he responds.]

There's a human saying for this, isn't there? Third time lucky?

[He takes the drink, intending to down it in one go.]

You can do it!

Yup, so you're probably from the same time as me eh? When you cut your hair though?

[Because he can see his tattoo! so weird.]

It's been a while since i've seen your dragon.

Croix just sits there, eyes wide in shock. How did someone such as Chariot end up in hell?! And...why was she going by Ursula, here? None of this made any sense at all, and it was causing Croix a great deal of consternation.

"...I-I'm sorry," she said, shooing the cats away and rising from her seat. "I have to go. Now."

And with that, she hurried off as quickly as she could.

Whether it was true wasn't important; what was is whether she can keep up the act.

"Very well," she said with a nod. "That's likely for the best. Lead on, then?"

Previously

Croix regards those words with a bit more thought and breadth than the words have themselves. It's clear this person put a lot of thought into them, so she must obviously do the same.

"...That's true," she said. "Ultimately, this is the stinging of gnats. Ultimately the more dominant lifeform has the advantage...but at the same time, one should take care that they don't become an infestation."

This is less about earning power, but more an attempt at education. For both sides.

[Well Cain IS kind of insane and is more than happy to drag around people who could kill him easily, and here he actually had a one up on some of them! But Brad was acquiescing so he was free...for now.]

Haha, I knew you'd probably be interested in his food. It's a great place though he also makes you follow City of Rain rules and you can't really talk inside the restaurant. He got mad at me last time when I forgot.

[They were still going there though!]

[On that, he can entirely agree. He was starting to feel far too listless sitting in this place and was about to head home anyway, but now he has something to turn his mind to.]

I expect we'll find no end of orderly individuals attempting to get in our way. [He works his way through the crowd gathered in the bar and outside, where he waits for his new companion to catch up.]

And I should introduce myself. Detective Shikanoin Heizou.

( a nod, before Kate decides to pull out her own phone and open up her maps app as well. )

Y'can push it around— ( Which she does by dragging her finger across her screen, shifting from Sutoku district to Enma and back again. ) Or zoom in and out— ( A pinch and pull of her fingers to demonstrate both of those. )

[Maybe it's the alcohol. Maybe he has a certain instinctive resonance with the word 'honor' that he'd deny. Maybe it's just him being incredibly persuadable by a pretty face. But he leans forward again intently, his whole face lighting up.]

Wow. I think I just fell a little bit in love.

[The ease with which he drops that line probably indicates that that happens all the time, but, still.]

That's the difference right there, I guess. You can't protect honor with a blade. Just lives. Well... honor doesn't have much meaning if you're dead, but, you know-- [Okay, he's losing the thread a little, and that part's definitely the vodka's fault.] --still. I think it's amazing.

Wow, you don't pull your punches. Didn't expect that sharp tongue, with that face. You must get along great with Felix.

[That just gets a laugh out of Sylvain. Not taking it seriously? Just not surprised? Impossible to say.]

But hey, thanks for the warning. What were you up to wandering around a place like that alone, if you think the city's so dangerous?

[He gives a quick glance to that hand before he takes it and gives it a firm shake. No limp wrists or awkwardly placed fingers here.]

Detective Shikanoin Heizou. Missing persons investigations are something I would normally leave to my colleagues, but this one is layered enough to more than draw my interest.

[The money really doesn't matter to him. Heizou just needs something to keep his mind occupied, and this could well be it.]

I expect being rather new here might serve as a handicap, but I'm sure we can manage.

'New arrival' shine hasn't quite worn off yet? Drat, and I thought I'd got rid of it all.

[Heizou pats his sleeve lightly as if to remove some non-existent dust, then plants one hand on his hip and looks up at Akiyama with a crooked half-smile.]

But I think I'm supposed to take that as a compliment.

[He gives a small tilt of his head for the both of them to start making their way away from the area. If any local law enforcement show up they're going to have to answer some questions and he doesn't want to get into too much trouble this early on.]

Shikanoin Heizou. And you are?

[It's always surprising to hear people invoke love so casually, especially with a relative stranger. She knows he's not serious; that isn't even a consideration. What does come to mind is that even though she doesn't know when she'll see her husband again, she knows the word "love" won't pass her lips until she's said it to him.

And then "amazing" lands like a ton of bricks. That's what has her hesitating to reply, a flicker of embarrassment on her face.]

Ah... thank you. [For the compliment to her ideals, anyway; she can't claim to be an honorable person. Not anymore. She pulls herself together, keeps that smile on her face. It's better to keep talking:] Well. If you ever decide you don't want to patrol a border, keep it in mind. There's other ways to serve people.

Yeah? Hope they’re not gettin’ themselves into too much trouble.

[Things will happen as they may, so might as well roll with them. Can’t change the future!

Or at least how it goes for Hyacinth. It might not actually be that normal of a view on things.]

Reckon ya might have better luck in any neighborhood ‘sides this one… Seems this is where a lotta this fightin’ is, on accounta it seems to be about territory? But I ain’t sure where the lines’re drawn jus’ yet.

[Oh, burn.]

Alright! I’ll follow yer lead, big guy. Ya seem to have a better idea of what to look for in a blade than I do.

[Also much easier to follow a guy as tall as he is than someone as short as Hyacinth.]

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(OVERFLOW) AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

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